Essence of Spring: Cooking with Asparagus

By Wendy Gordon

No vegetable says spring like asparagus. Despite my love of the season, I must admit I grew up hating the vegetable. It was my father's favorite, and my mother served it every day, unseasoned, steamed to mush under the pressure cooker. As an adult I realized asparagus could taste delicious. I was merely suffering from asparagus overdose as well as poor preparation (my mother is a superb cook, but this wasn't her forte). Asparagus tastes best when crisp-tender, a quality reached by three techniques: roasting, stir-frying, and steaming (carefully). I'm including an example of each in this column.

Roasted Asparagus with Orange Vinaigrette

• 1 pound fresh asparagus
• 1 orange, thinly sliced and seeded (small juicy oranges, like blood oranges or valencias, work best)
• 1 T orange juice
• 4 T olive oil
• 1 T red wine vinegar
• Salt and pepper to taste

1. Preheat oven to 450.
2. Trim off tough ends of asparagus spears. Place in a single row on a baking pan (jelly roll pans work well).Scatter orange slices in between them. Brush with 2 T of the olive oil.
3. In a small bowl whisk together remaining ingredients.
4. Cook asparagus and orange slices until tender and tinged with brown, around 9-11 minutes.
5. Remove asparagus from oven and transfer to a serving dish. Drizzle with vinaigrette. Serve immediately or at room temperature.

Asparagus with Walnut Dressing

• One-half cup walnuts, chopped and toasted
• One-quarter cup quality soy sauce (I like shoyu)
• 1 T raw sugar
• 1 T sake
• 1 pound asparagus
• 1-2 T canola oil

1. Blend the walnuts, soy sauce, sugar and sake in the blender, or use an immersion mixer. It's OK if small nut chunks remain.
2. Discard the woody bottoms of the asparagus stalks, and slice the rest at a diagonal in approximately one-inch length pieces.
3. Heat canola oil in a large saucepan or wok and sauté asparagus until crisp-tender.
4. Remove from heat and drizzle with dressing. Can be served hot or at room temperature.

Steamed Asparagus with Goat Cheese Sauce

• 1 pound asparagus
• One-third cup buttermilk
• 2 oz goat cheese
• 1 T extra-virgin olive oil
• 1-2 cloves garlic, crushed
• One-quarter tsp dried thyme
• Healthy dash black pepper

1. Combine the buttermilk and goat cheese in a blender or using an immersion mixer. With the motor running, add in olive oil. Stir in thyme, pepper, and crushed garlic. Chill until ready to serve (can be made up to two days in advance).
2. Cut off woody stems of asparagus spears. Steam in an insert over a large pot of water until crisp-tender, around five minutes (cut the spears if necessary so they will fit in the steam basket). If you prefer, you can microwave the asparagus by laying it flat in a microwavesafe dish and adding one-quarter cup water. Microwave on high power for four to five minutes, then drain.
3. Serve asparagus topped with a dollop of sauce.